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Soldier of Fortune 2: Double Helix

Soldier of Fortune 2: Double Helix

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Good, but typical
Review: I bought this game while shopping for a more modern tactical shooter. I'm and ex Counter-Strike junkie and I've played Return to Castle Wolfenstein and Medal of Honor:Allied Assault and quite frankly I'm a bit sick of the current trends in online gaming as well as the community in general. I was looking for something with a lot more single-player replay value.

I'm sure by now everyone knows a little bit about SoF2 so I'll omit the overview and get straight to the point. This is basically just another Q3A mod with more blood and gore. Like RTCW and MOHAA, the graphics are good and technology seems sound, but for such a latecommer I believe it's reasonable to have expected a bit more.

The single-player campaign is your typical linear shooter. Run around, do these things in order, pick up more weapons, etc.... The story itself is terrible - think Max Payne meets the A-Team. There were some great ideas mixed in, and I really appreciated the more modern military feel, but by now we're all getting a bit tired of the same format. The random mission generator looks appealing, and was a major factor in the decision to buy this game, but it becomes redundant far too easily. If you intend on purchasing this game only for the single-player features, I would strongly recommend some serious comparison shopping before putting the money down.

As previously stated, I'm not much of an online gaming fan, but I felt it was necessary to give the MP games a chance before writing this review. To my surprise, MP is pretty darn fun! It supports the usual team-oriented games (CTF, TDM, etc...), and doesn't add anything revolutionary to the mix, but the combination of the modern weapons and outdoor themes really made this a blast. Compared to what's currently out there, SoF2 does the best job in mixing action with simulated warfare. Unfortunately, the Q3A "feel" or the game is still there. The damage system is a bit too forgiving, and I don't know how anyone could jump around with 80lbs of gear on their backs, but I guess this is the way people like it. If you're a big fan of Half-Life and Quake mods, you'll feel right at home with this. Counter-Strike fans will probably consider it on the goofy side of the spectrum, but I think they should still give it a chance.

Of course, my biggest gripe with most of the online shooters is this: Even the best laid plans and teamwork can be spoiled in a heartbeat by some rambo running around with a grenade launcher.

Anyways, SoF2 is a shining example of modern game technology that's just starting to become dated. It can easily be worth the price tag, but I fear that in less than 2 months it will take it's place on the shelf next to the other Q3A-driven games and collect dust. Not the tactical shooter I was looking for, but I'm glad I had a chance to play it.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Well worth the money
Review: This was a really great and entertaining shooter. It's well worth the money as it gave me many, many hours of challenging gameplay. As I'm sure everybody knows, it's based on the Q3 engine which is becoming a little dated. The graphics and cut scenes are not the greatest anymore -- but they're still quite good. Best of all, the AI is much improved over the original SOF (QII engine). The bots often give you a really decent contest -- especially at the higher levels. Some players complain that the bots shoot too well, see through cover and always throw grenades with perfect accuracy. This is what makes the game. After all, you're the one with unlimited "lives" who can always try again. Other gamers don't like the number of weapons the game allows you to carry. If this is the case, drop all the ones you think are unrealistic. Also, you're allowed to pick the weapons you carry before each mission. Play with just a knife if you think that will make a better game. SOFII has less of an "arcade" feel to it as compared to the original. Except in a few places, the targets don't act as much like pop-ups. This is a very linear game. There are objectives which you meet and then you move on to another level. There are no "secret places" to find or complex puzzles to solve. A couple of half-hearted "stealth missions" are thrown in (bummer), but they don't last long. There are a few bugs (at least on my system). Other than the usual clipping errors (floating bodies and weapons), there are certain places where the bots are able to poke their weapons and shoot through solid metal doors, etc. In another place, I watched in disbelief as my armor and health decreased when a bot shot at me on the other side of a concrete post. Some powerful bullets here. The worst bug was a badly designed level near the end. You seem able to go into a hallway where the designers don't want you. Instead of the usual barrier or locked door, you simply get shot "dead" out of "the blue" everytime you try to enter this hallway. Very annoying. I liked the fact that, as with most Q3 based games, almost everything is adjustable. The default gory graphics are a bit over the top but they can be toned down in stages (along with decals, amount of brass shown, etc.). The plot and dialog are a bit cheesy, but who the hell cares? The same is true in most of these games (how about RTCW?). And finally, there is the multiplayer component which is absolutely great and is icing on the cake. SOFII belongs in any FPS gamer's collection.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The best game made so far
Review: This is the most realistic game I have ever played. The graphics could use some updating, but as far as realism (such as bullet damage) I was amazed. I have never before seen a game with such detail. Hopefully they will do another one and make it even more realistic. For instance walls should explode when you lauch a missile at them, and characters mouths shouldn't move like the nutcracker's. I give it 5 out of 5 stars.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
Review: THE GOOD: Nearly every aspect of Soldier of Fortune II is well done. The graphics and gameplay are amazing, the audio f/x are crisp, and both the single AND multiplayer modes are satisfying. Unlike Return to Castle Wolfenstein (in which the multiplayer game is strong and the single player campaign average) or Medal of Honor (which has a stellar single player game with a weak multiplayer package), Soldier of Fortune II delivers with both. The single player game is quite long in comparison with other first person shooters, and provides 15 to 20 hours of gameplay filled with exploding heads, blown off limbs, and spurting neck wounds. The multiplayer game is my new second favorite, topped only by Return to Castle Wolfenstein. The modes include Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Elimination, Infiltration, and Capture the Flag.

THE BAD: The stealth levels are kind of annoying and a joke. The original SofF didn't bother with stealth levels, and prided itself on being an intense no-frills shooter. Though don't worry, there are very few moments where stealth is required. The rest of the game is filled with the expected mayhem and intense fire fights.

THE UGLY: The sound of blood gurgling into the throat of victims shot in the neck.

BOTTOM LINE: BUY THIS GAME! You will not be dissapointed! Whether you like a solid single player campaign, or hours of replay value in an addicting multiplayer package, SofF II is the best shooter to be released since Return to Castle Wolfenstein, and I highly recommend it.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: great multiplayer game
Review: SoF II is an excelent multiplayer game. Capture the Flag mode is like Counter Strike, but after being killed, one doesn't have to sit and watch others play. This is great for those who just want to shoot, shoot, shoot, and blow some more stuff up. This would be worthy of five stars if the single player mode wasn't so poor. That is just boring. This game is best played as a multiplayer game.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A smooth fun addictive gore fest!!
Review: This game had me up til four in the morning killing people blasting arms off, and creating havoc. The violece is excellent the gore is the best gore that ive seen in a video game in a long time! The story is okey i guess if not a little cliched. Dont realy have too many complaints about this one, except maybe the graphics.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: An addictive, fun, gorefest
Review: this game was very good. The violence was excellent the gore was off the hook, and the story was okey, if not a little cliched. I dont realy have too many complaints about this one except for the graphics.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: *Sigh*
Review: I want to praise this game, i really do, but it can't. As i played it i felt bored and dissapointed. I kept telling myself that i should be having fun, but it just wasn't happening. I loved the original SOF, and still do. It is probably my favorite game of all time. So, naturally, i was psyched about Double Helix. It didn't have that SOF feel that the first one had, at least not till near the end. This game feels more like it's very own game without ties to SOF. It reminded me more of a James Bond game than one with John Mullins.
I did like the addition of the M4 carbine and the OICW though. One factor that really bothered me was that the grenades are no longer in an inventory menu, instead they are thrown in with the weapons menus. This means there is no quick grnade throw before entering a room. Unless you can act really fast and switch to grenade, throw it and switch back to a weapon to clear the room. Throwing grenades seemed mostly pointless anyway, since the enemies throw em back at you if they get a chance. Grenades are a big part of the game, the enimies love to lob grenades your way. Very often, i found myself doing great on a level, only to be suddenly blown up by a grenade. Bummer.
The violence in this game is much more realistic and almost chilling in a way. In the original, you could run into a room, guns blazing and limbs would fly, guys would scream, it was total chaos. That was great.... the violence of action was very well displayed in the original. it really gave you a feeling of kicking some major butt. In Double Helix, while things are more bloody, it feels less real....even the most dynamic entires don't seem that way.
One thing you will notice about the game is that you have to play it differently. In the original, it wasn't uncommon to be able to run around like a psycho engaging anyone in your path. This approach wont work in Double Helix. You find yourself having a lot of shootouts and snap shooting like crazy. Things have to get a lot more tactical, it reminded me of SWAT 3 in some parts. The enimies are everywhere and move around a lot...it's a lot harder to get a solid shot. You'll shoot at them and they move just in time. It gets annoying.
Something about this games and in a lot of games today, is that there is soo much focus on storylines and cinematics. I am so sick of graphically beautiful games with great story lines that are not that much fun to play. The recon missions and cinematics cut into the action too much and i wasn't even psyched to keep playing.
It also just seemed like too much of the same.... the missions were almost borring in their set up and many of the enimies look exactly the same. It's annoying the shoot the same guy hundreds of times.
With the gold edition, this game is a lot more fun. I think the M3 SMG is trash though, so i usually put in a code cheat so i could use the Mp5(gold edition only). You can download a gold editon patch, like i did, and it makes things more fun. Suffer through some of the earlier levels, and things well get more interesting, and more fun.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Great Game....Buggy
Review: I got this game in a sound blaster card package...I installed it and instantly loved it. It is a great first person shooter- single player and multi...The only reason I did not give it a 5 star ratin is because I have tried it on 3 computers that are about high mid-level systems...And it ran buggy on all of them.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: eh...
Review: i bought this game shortly after it came out. i'm sitting here and i honestly can't even remember it. i have a great memory for video games, but i just can't remember a single level or mission parameter of this game. i sold it soon after beating it. nothing that great aside from the locational damage and the great character models. other than that, this game really was nothing great.


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